Reservoir mop



L. H. NEARN RESERVOIR MOP Filed Nov, 1.

Nov. 10 1925- 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l 21 73 INVENTOR w. 0,135 lZ/la/IL ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES LOIS H. NEABN, or TRACY CITY, TENNESSEE.

RESERVOIR MOP.

Application filed November 1, 1924. Serial No. 747,345.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Lois H. NEARN, citizen of the United States, residing at Tracy City, in the county of Grundyand State of Tennessee, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reservoir Mops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to devices for applying liquid dressing such as oil, polish, liquid wax, etc., to floors, and more particularly to devices of this character which include an applicatorsuch as a mop, a reservoir for containing a supply of the dressing, and means for conveying th dress-. ing to themop.

The invention has for its object the provision of a device of the character indicated which includes a reservoir beneath which is supported a mop element, and a valve for controlling the supply of liquid dressing discharged upon the mop.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide means-interposed between the reservoir and the mop element which will positively provide an equal distribution of the dressing to all parts of the mop.

A further object of the invention isto provide a device of this character wherein the mop element .is removably attached to the reservoir, whereby, when desired, it may be readily detached therefrom for the p-ur .pose of cleaning or renewal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated which will be simple, yet durablein construction, and economical, yet eflicient. in operation.

For the purposes of illustration one embodiment of the invention is hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2. Y 7

Figure 4 is a detailed view partly in section of the mop'tray.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings, the invention consists of a reservoir 1 which may be made of sheet metal in any desired form or configuration, but is preferably rectangular as indicated in Figure 1, having a relatively flat upper surface 2, and downwardly and outwardly inclined side and end walls 3 and 4;

- The top wall 2 of there-servoir is pro;

vided with afilling nipple 6, which may be normally closed by a screw cap 7, of the usual form. As shown in Figure 2, the reservoir is provided with a bottom wall 5, spaced apart from the top wall 2 any suitable distance, depending uponthe desired capacity of the reservoir, said bottom wall 5 being provided with a central orifice 8, with which athreaded needlevalve 9 cooperates. Th needle valve is adjustably supported in the top wall 2 of the reservoir by means of an internally threaded nipple 10, said nipple being welded, soldered, or otherwise fixedly secured tothe inner face of the wall 2. The bottom Wall 5 of the reservoir may be reinforced adjacent to the discharge orifice 8 by means of a perforated washer 11, fixedly secured to the under side thereof in any suitable manner, whereby a substantial bearing surface may be provided for the needle valve 9. l r

The flaring side walls of the reservoir extend a substantial distance below the'bottom wall 5 thereof and terminate in longitudinally corrugated sections 12, having in-. turnedterminal flanges 13 as clearly shown in Figur 2. The inturned flanges 13 are designed to support the removable mop tray 14, into the bottom portion 15 of which are stamped or otherwise formed a plurality *of parallel longitudinally disposed crests 17 separated by'open channels 18. The channels are formed by slitting the metal of the tray along lines parallel to and equidistant from the crests17, and then bending the metal downward along lines parallel to the slits and on either side thereof to form depending integral walls '19. The channels thus formed are designed toreceive the mop tufts 21. These tufts are formed from strands of string,yarn or the like, laid parallel and looped intermediate their ends to form the tuft heads 22. The tufts are then mounted in the channels 18 with the heads 22 pro jecting above the bottom 15 of the tray, between the crests 17 and retainedin this positionbya plurality of tangs 20,stamped out of the channel walls 19. By this construction the heads 22 of the tufts are free to absorb the dressing dischargedupon the, tray andto convey the same by thecapillary action of the individual Strands ofthetuf -ts 2 and 3, is secured to the walls of the reser- V the reservoir when themop is in use.

voir adjacent to, and immediately above the corrugated sections 12 thereof. The plate 23' is substantially conical in form and is provided with a plurality of radially disposed valleys or corrugations 2 1, emanating from the apex25of the plate, said apex being slightly depressed. to form a, shallow Well 26. The valleys of the corrugations. 24, extending radially from the well 26, are provided with a plurality of longitudinally distributed perforations 27, whereby the floor dressing discharged upon the plate may be distributed uniformly upon the mop tray;

As hereinbefore recited, the mop tray 14: is designed to slidingly engage the inturned flanges 13 of the side walls 3 similar to a drawer, and to this end the corrugated section 1250f one of'the end walls 1 is omitted, whereby, to provide an opening throu h which the tray may be inserted and wit 1- drawn. The tray 14, on its outer or exposed end, is therefore provided with a dee wall 27 corres ond in* in size and shape. to the corrugated section 12 omitted from the end wall 4 of the reservoir. By this construction the appearance of the reservoir is rendered intact when the mop tray is in place.

The end Wall 27 of the tray is provided with a suitable latch 29' whereby the tray may be retained securelyin place beneath The corrugated sections 125 of the reservoir and the end wall 27 of the mop trayare pref erably covered by cork, rubber, felt, or

other suitable material, whereby to preclude the possibility off marring objects of" furniture coming in contactw-ith the device durmg use.

The device as thus described? is designed to be manipulated in the usual man-ner'by means of a handle 30 secured to the reservoir by means of a yoke 31 and a yoke plate 32: The yoke plate 32 i's permanently secured to the upper surface of-the reservoir by means ofa phira-lity of rive-ts'33, or any other suitable means and is provided with upturned perforated lugs 34 designed to receive the oppositelydisposed extremities 35' of the yoke 81. In order to facilitate mounting the handle and yoke, the latter maybe provided with, a split soeket-36= to which the han' lle is secured by a plurality of bolts 37;. I 4

' It is to be notedthatthe upturned lugs of the yoke plate 32 are set in a'substantial distance from theoutside edgesof" the top, whereby .to prevent said lugs and the thus reversed without lifting the mop from The yoke plate 32 is positioned centrally of the top wall'2'of the reservoir and is perforated at 38 in order to accommodate the needle valve 9, which extends through the top wall 2 and yoke plate 32 and terminates in a knurled head 39 by which the valve may be adjusted relatively to the discharge orifice 8 to control the flow of the liquid from the reservoir onto the distributor plate.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the reservoir 1, having been filled with dressing of the desired'character, by means of, the filling nipple 6, the needle valve Sis adjusted relative to the discharge orifice 8 of the plate 5 so that any-desired quantity of the dressing will be continually discharged upon the distributor plate 23. The dressing issuing from the discharge orifice 8 drops into the well 26 and from there it overflows into the radial valleys 24 "ihesc valleys being perforated, the dress ing is permitted to drop uniformly over the mop tray 14, the crests 17 of which direct the dressing into the channel's 1-8,'from which protrude the heads 22 of the mop tufts 21. These heads absorb the dressing and by the capillary action of the strands deliver the same uniformly throughout the entire surface oft-he mOpf. After the mop hasbeen used for sometime andhas become soiled and unsanitary, the; tray may he removed by releasing the latch 29 and the mop thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. By this construction not only may the mop be kept in a clean and sanitary condition at all times, but also when, after being in use for a long period of" time, the mop tufts have become excessively worn, a new mop tray may be purchased at small cost and the apparatus thus rendered as good as new.

It is 'to'be noted that whilea preferred embodiment of the invention has been hereinbefore described and illustrated, it has been but for the purposesof example only and not as defining the limits of the invention, which are to be determined by the appended claims.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1.. A device of the character described comprising a liquid reservoir, depending flanges carried thereby, a; removable mop carrying: tray supported by the: flanges,v a discharge orifice. in the reservoir, means for controlling-the same, and a distributor plate interposed between the discharge orifice and the mop tray wl'iereby' to distribute the liq,-

.ceiving tray carried thereby, means to discharge the contents of the reservoir upon the tray, mop tufts carried by the tray, and

distributing crests positioned between said tufts whereby to distribute the liquid onto 1 the mop tufts.

3. A device of the character described comprising a reservoir provided with a discharge orifice in the bottom thereof, a valve controlling the discharge of liquid therethrough, a conical distributor plate positioned beneath the reservoir, said plate being provided with a shallow well at the apex thereof a plurality of radial corrugations emanating fronr said well, said oorruga tions being perforated, a mop tray positioned beneath the distributor plate, said tray being provided with a plurality of alternate raised crests and open channels, and a plurality of tufts mounted in the channels.

4. A device of the character described comprising a liquid reservoir having a discharge orifice, a valve controlling said orifice, a mop tray positioned beneath the reservoir, a distributor plate positioned between the discharge orifice of the reservoir and the mop tray, said distributor plate being substantially conical in form and having its apex depressed to form a shallow well, and provided with a plurality of corrugations emanating from said well, said corrugations being provided with longitudinally distributed perforations.

5. A device of the character described comprising a liquid reservoir having a discharge orifice, a valve controlling said orifice, and a mop positioned beneath the reservoir, said mop comprising a tray provided with a plurality of open channels, tufts mounted in the channels and means to retain the tufts within the channels.

6. A device of the character described comprising a liquid reservoir having a discharge orifice and a mop positioned beneath the reservoir, said mop comprising a tray provided with a plurality of open channels, tufts mounted in' the channel, and raised crests between the tuft channels whereby to direct liquid discharged from the reservoir upon the tray into the open channels con taining the tufts.

7. A device of the character lGOltGClll] claim 5 wherein the mop tray is further pro-- vided with raised crests between the tuft channels and a perforated distributor plate positioned between the tray and the reservoir.

8. A device of the character, described comprising a liquid reservoir, flanges clepending therefrom, a mop tray slidably supported upon the flanges, a latch carried by the tray, whereby to retain the same in operative position and means to discharge the liquid from the reservoir onto the mop.

9. A device of the character described comprising a liquid reservoir, flanges depending therefrom on three sides thereof, a mop tray slidably engaging the flanges,said mop tray being provided with an upstanding complemental flange on its outer end adapted to cooperate with the depending flanges of the reservoir, and means to discharge the liquid from the reservoir onto the mop. I

10. In a device of the character described a mop tray comprising a corrugated bottom,

said bottom being slotted intermediate the crests of the corrugations, mop tufts positioned in said slot, and tangs carried by the side walls of said slots for securing the tufts therein.

11. Ina device of the character described a mop tray comprising a corrugated bottom section, said bottom being slotted intermediate the crests of the corrugations, and mop tufts mounted in said slots.

12-111 a device of the character described a mop tray comprising a bottom section provided with corrugations, said bottom intermediate the crest of the corrugations being slotted to form open channels having depending side walls, mop tufts mounted in. the channels and tangs carried by the side walls to engage the tufts to retain the same within the channels.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LOIS H. NEARN. 

